Motherhood

Motherhood is not for sissies.

Motherhood is not for women
with weak stomachs,
strict routines,
or wall-to-wall white carpeting.

Motherhood is not for women
unable to juggle three things at once,
read between the lines,
or face fear on a regular basis.

Motherhood is not for women
too quick to use the word "impossible,"
or too hesitant to say, "yes, you can."

Motherhood is not for women
who refuse to believe in miracles,
or tomorrows, or themselves.

Motherhood is for
caring and courageous women
who make a difference.

(Loved this poem in a card I received today from my darling Grandma Charlotte.)

The truth? Mother's Day is a lot of work. Good, fun work, but work. Brunches. Dinners. Gifts. But it is all so very worth it. It is what I consider to be the first of the glorious summer holidays; the sort you celebrate outdoors where people you love tend to linger a little longer, laugh a little louder, share a bit more. It was a good day.

So here's my Yea! for all the moms in my life--biological and not. Yea! for all the moms that care for, teach, and otherwise "village" my little ones. And a big Yea! for being a mom--it-is-a-deep -down, earn-it-everyday, paid-in-moments privilege of which I think I have only begun to learn.